Shadow Play
by Shdwfeather
Summary: Harry Potter crossover. A shadow puppet does not have a will, a mind, or a face. It is solid darkness, dancing to the whim of the puppeteer. A remarkable resemblance to the perfect ninja, really. Team 7 centric.
1. Act I: Konoha

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto_ or the _Harry Potter_ series. Also, I am not making a lick of change out of this. I only wish I did.

**Author's Note:** As mentioned in the summary, this is a crossover between the _Naruto_ universe and the _Harry Potter_ universe. It unfolds in the HP world, but is _Naruto_-centric. Although I try to keep with the canon in both worlds as much as possible, it is ultimately AU. Please enjoy.

* * *

_A shadow puppet does not have a will, a mind, or a face.  
It is solid darkness, dancing to the whim of the puppeteer.   
A remarkable resemblance to the perfect ninja, really._

_**Shadow Play**_

**Act I**  
_Scene i_

(_It is a clear, midsummer morning. The sun has yet to travel far from the horizon, but already, the air is scorching hot. It is also quite dry; the area had not had any rain for a long time, and plants with shallower roots are already withering. Yet despite such adverse conditions, there in the clear blue sky flies a tawny owl with a handsome gold-brown plumage and great round onyx eyes. Even stranger, there seems to be a rolled up sheet of parchment attached to one of its legs._)

The owl hooted irritably. There was no wind. (He had to flap his wings continuously like some damned sparrow.) There was no restful darkness. (His beautiful eyes were stinging and watering constantly.) There was no time. (By all that was small and furry, the delivery was supposed to be made _last week_.) But worst of all, there was--

No. Bloody. Owlery.

I mean, what town in their right mind didn't have an owlery? What were the post owls supposed to do? Sit in a tree and wait for the recipient to walk by? Ridiculous. The owl blinked impatiently as he circled the small town that was protected by ridiculously high walls. Nothing. Nothing at all. Not even a smidgeon of--but, ah. Could that be? The owl clacked its beak--which amounted to something of an owlish frown--as it studied a pathetic hut-like structure balanced on top of an old tree. Eurgh.

There. He saw a hawk--nasty things with a nastier temper--land ungracefully onto a wooden perch in the sad structure and waddle its tail for attention. Bloody hell, then it was that hut? Hooting his disgust, the tawny owl followed suit, though with much, much more grace. And minus the tail waddling. He had swept a disparaging glance over the-- the--Eurgh (it had no right to be called an owlery), when an attendant started and looked towards him in confusion. The owl ruffled his feathers in disgust--what, had the human never seen an owl deliver mail before?--and held out his leg. The daft human seemed to take forever before he finally caught on and dubiously approached to remove the parchment. Idiot.

His job finally complete, the owl elegantly swept off his perch and made his way to one of the empty cages. After taking a beakful of water, he buried his head in his wing, completely oblivious to the hopeless confusion of the poor attendant.

**Act I**  
_Scene ii_

(_The sun is slowly peaking over the mountainous horizon of a ninja village, though darkness is still making its last stand in the western sky. A side of an apartment building is illuminated by the pink rays of dawn, the light momentarily chasing away the crumbling corners and the childish chalk graffiti. At the foot of this building stands two young adults; one is a blond male with bright blue eyes wearing a brighter orange outfit, and the other is, interestingly enough, a pink-haired female with lovely green eyes. She is dressed in red clothing that is both pretty and functional. As the two look up, indigo curtains in one of the windows rustle aside a notch, revealing a glimpse of dark hair, dark eyes, and a navy shirt. The blond male grins and shouts to the figure above._)

"Sasuke-bastard!"

"No need to wake the entire neighbourhood, dead last."

"What? Come down here right now!"

Sakura sighed dramatically as her two team mates began bickering yet again. In reality, she was trying to fight down a smile at the antics of an exuberant Naruto and an irritated Sasuke, but of course, she couldn't let them know that. The verbal sparring continued as Sasuke leapt tidily out of his window, and the trio began walking towards the tree near the Hokage's Tower. The fourth member and captain of their team, Kakashi, had promised to meet them there.

It had been three years since Kakashi, Naruto, and she had dragged an unconscious Uchiha Sasuke back to the Hidden Leaf with all four of his limbs and a few ribs broken, plus a concussion and a massive bruise on his right temple. Chaos had ensued when a furious Orochimaru descended on the Leaf with his slithery Soundnins the very next day, but he was soundly defeated by the combined efforts of the two other members of the Legendary Sannin and had not been heard of since.

Thus, instead of being executed, Sasuke had been put under ANBU surveillance for a while, and was required to complete a certain amount of missions without stipend to prove his loyalty to the Leaf. After that, normalcy had begun to return. And now, it almost appeared as if team Kakashi was back in its rookie days again, with a few exceptions; first of all, Naruto had grown to same height as Sasuke (and several inches taller than Sakura). Also, the young trio were now jounin, vying for a position in ANBU, and finally, the great toad boss Gamabunta had officially accepted Naruto as a friend, rather than his subordinate, after a secretly shared bottle of sake. But of course, other things had stayed just the same.

"Ah! Kakashi-sensei! You're late again. By _three hours_!"

And unfortunately, Hatake Kakashi's tardiness was one of those things.

**Act I**  
_Scene iii_

(_The golden rays of the morning sun splash into the wide circular room through the numerous windows that compose the entire back wall. The illuminating light chases away all shadows and seems to bring life to the otherwise empty room--indeed, the only pieces of furniture in the office are a large semi-circular desk and a comfortable-looking wheeled chair. Covering every inch of the wooden desk and some parts of the surrounding floor are stacks and stacks of reports, treaties and other important documents. However, currently, the attention of the only person in the room is solely focused on the sheet of parchment held in her hand._)

The Godaime Hokage pushed aside a stray blonde lock as her golden-brown eyes flitted over the neat, but troublesome letter once more.

_Dear Hokage,_

_Foremost, it is my utmost urging that you finish this letter before making any judgements. I know the suspicion that entails a letter from an unacquainted person, but let me assure you, I write for peace, not for war._

_I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Think of me as the equivalent of the highest ranking instructor of your Ninja Academy. I and my colleagues reside in a different, parallel dimension from your own. We have first discovered your dimension when an inexplicable explosion occurred near one of our towns, flattening a small hill. Ah, in case you worry, no one was hurt; the explosion occurred during night time. We managed to trace the explosion to your dimension, and since then have sent a few people to learn your customs and language. However, I never intended to make our presence known, but for this necessity._

_We need your help._

_A dark wizard--a chakra user, as you would call--has been regaining power in our world, and I am afraid that some of my students as well as my school will be targeted soon. We are in need of guards for the span of eleven months--yes, there are such guards in my world as well, but they have been... busy of late. Payment can be made in the form of precious stones or metals, as much as you desire. We await a favourable response from you soon._

_Ah, to the matter of contacting us; please throw the attached powder into a fireplace, and a representative will arrive shortly at the same location._

_Sincerely,_

_P. S. Please take good care of Karagoz, the tawny owl. I suspect the inter-dimensional travel has been quite hard on him._

Her fingers played with the small pouch of glittering powder as Tsunade pondered. She had already confirmed that the powder was no threat; despite the faint aura of chakra surrounding it, the powder was primarily composed of ash and sand. However, that was the least of her problems right now. People living in another dimension. Chakra-using wizards. And owls! Why would anyone use a slow-moving owl instead of a swift hawk for mail delivery?

Ordinarily, Tsunade would trash such a ridiculous--and likely dangerous--request immediately. However, the Hidden Leaf has been struggling after the second attack of the Hidden Sound; aside from the loss of ninjas and heavy structural damage, Orochimaru's giant snake had destroyed the mines where the Leaf got most of its iron for its weapons. And this Dumbledore had promised a hefty payment. In short, it was an offer that the current Leaf could not refuse. She had already dispatched a squad of genin and found a suitable fireplace far enough from the Leaf's walls in case it was an ambush and--

"Hey, hey Tsunade-baachan! Sorry we're late, but it's all Kakashi-sensei's fault!"

The Hokage looked up at the sudden, loud interruption to find Naruto pointing an accusatory finger at his white-haired sensei, while Sakura grinned sheepishly and Sasuke looked mildly amused. Oh yes, she had almost forgotten about them.

"Ah right. Your mission--," Tsunade began, but was interrupted again by the grumbling of the rambunctious blonde.

"It better be an S-rank this time! We've gotten too many B-rank missions nowadays."

At the Hokage's frown, Sakura winced and hastily moved to cover a hand over Naruto's mouth, forcefully ducking his head with her body weight to make him apologize. Tsunade nodded in stern satisfaction at the young man's muttered 'Sorry Hokage-sama,' and continued. And no, she was not hiding a smile. But she did, in fact, had an S-ranked mission for them right in her hand.

"As I was saying, your mission is to accompany me to meet a foreign envoy, 20 km out from the Hidden Leaf--"

"What? But, Baacha--, I mean, Hokage-sama, that's a B-ranked mission at best!"

Tsunade stood up, the letter and pouch still in hand, and walked towards Naruto, slowly and deliberately. She paused a foot away from the young man--they were almost even in height now--and raised a single finger to hover in front of his forehead. She smiled.

"Problems, brat?"

Naruto visibly recoiled at the painful memory the finger evoked and quickly shook his head.

"None at all, Hokage-sama!"

Retracting her hand, the woman nodded curtly with a suppressed smile and opened the wooden doors of the office.

"Now, let's go!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Four voices replied in unison.

**Act I**  
_Scene iv_

(_A small, run-down, and out-of-the-way cot is playing host to some interesting visitors today. Inside the crumbling walls are five people, gingerly gathered around a stone-and-mud fireplace. A small flame has already been kindled and dances playfully upon the firewood, throwing strange, shifting shadows against the back wall of the hut. With a satisfied nod, the blonde woman--clearly the leader of the group--reaches into a small leather pouch and brings forth a handful of glittery powder. After a moment of hesitation, she tosses it into the fire. Immediately, the flame roars to life and turns bright green, although it does not seem to be consuming the firewood any faster. The five gathered are startled, and kunai and shuriken are immediately drawn, the strange green light silently glinting off the malicious edges. It is such a scene that greets a patchy-robed, ash-brown haired man as stumbles out of the green fire, coughing._)

Remus Lupin was rubbing ashes out of his eyes for several moments before he noticed the rather dangerous predicament he was in. Sharp pointy objects pointed in his direction. Not good. He quickly took a step back--almost singeing the tattered hem of his robes in the process--and raised his empty hands to shoulder-level in what he hoped was a universal sign of peace. It was met with total silence.

Remus' eyes quickly darted from one adversary to another; if he could only get around that table... But when he was just about to dive and reach for his wand, the blonde woman who was standing closest to him made a small motion with her right hand. Seeing this, the rest instantly relaxed and sheathed their weapons. Remus sighed in relief and slowly lowered his hands, though he kept them where they could still be seen. One disaster averted. Remus gathered himself and parted his lips hesitantly.

"Oh, er. Yes. Ah, hello, I am--," he paused at the blank expressions that faced him. What...? Oh, right. Cursing silently at the side-effects of the Lickity-Split Language charm, he cleared his throat again.

"Ah. Ah. I'm speaking your language now, correct? Oh good. I get mixed up sometimes with that." Remus waved his hand in the air in a vague gesture for a brief moment before he caught himself and straightened, attempting to look professional. The others still glanced warily at him; Remus almost winced to see a flicker in the dark eyes of a particularly cold-looking teen that clearly said, 'what an idiot.'

"Ah, yes. I am Remus Lupin, sent by Albus Dumbledore to discuss our possible transaction. And, er, I'm terribly sorry, but which of you is the Hokage-sama again?"

At that, the blonde woman who had signalled the others stepped forward and tilted her head. Remus tried very hard not to notice the Hokage-sama's ample... assets.

"Welcome, Remus-san. I am the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village of the Fire Country. I apologize for the location, but it was the best we could do at such short notice. Here, why don't we take a seat?"

Remus looked dubiously at the two rickety chairs and the wobbly table, but nodded in assent and sat down on the opposite side of the woman. He could only hope that the chair wouldn't collapse under him during the talk.

"Thank you very much, Hokage-sama. I assume this meeting has happened because you are interested?"

"Interested, yes. But the letter wasn't very detailed about the job or did it specify payment. I'm afraid I'll have to know those first before replying." The expression and tone of the woman betrayed nothing but suave politeness.

Nodding, Remus continued. "Ah, yes. About the job, it will have to be undercover--we don't want to alarm the students too much. We're thinking having the guards disguised as exchange students. So, we are looking for around three or four people perhaps, around the age of 1620. Duties will include patrolling the hallways at night and the specific protection of one Harry Potter for the duration of the school year. As for the payment, we are unsure of the price range for these sorts of missions, so it is up to you to lay out your terms..."

So the haggling went. As they talked further, Remus spared a glance at the four others who were accompanying the Hokage. Although they seemed relaxed and one had even flipped open a book to read, he saw that their attention never left his hands. Eventually, the payment was settled to be paid in gold bars with some pearls on the side. Standing with a suppressed wince--the bloody chair had left splinters in his buttocks!--Remus politely bowed. /p

"Thank you again, Hokage-sama. I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore will be very pleased. Ah, will the rest of the evening give you enough time to select the guards?"

"No, it's fine."

"Er?"

The Hokage grinned for the first time and continued brightly. "I already have them right here. Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura," she pointed them out in turn. "I'm sure you three have listened to Remus-san? Kakashi, if you please."

To the three teens' surprise--and Remus' as well--the white-haired ninja, who until now had been reading without a care in the world, suddenly came to attention and conjured a large wooden box out of seemingly nowhere. He set the box down on the shaky table and then turned towards his team mates, ignoring the loud protesting creak the rotting thing made at the action.

"There's your supply of weapons and a few scrolls. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an S-class mission to attend to." He smiled. And then with a poof and a wisp of smoke, he was gone. Naruto turned scarlet.

"Kakashi-sensei, you traitor!"

Remus looked on with bemusement as the blond male spluttered incoherently; the other two looked rather displeased as well. As the young male began hollering at the Hokage and she began yelling back ("Baachan! How come only Kakashi-sensei gets an S-class while we're stuck with guarding some stupid school for a year?" "Watch your mouth, brat! You should remember that you're still under watch for ANBU qualification!"), Remus pulled out an old grey sock in one hand and muttered as he tapped the smelly thing with his wand to charm it.

"Ah, sorry to interrupt, but we will be leaving in about 30 seconds! Could you all touch this sock please? Excuse me? The sock?"

"But Tsunade-baachan!"

"Naruto! This is an order, and you will follow it if you ever want to be a part of the ANBU!"

Remus thought of shouting again with a Sonorus spell, but luckily, at that moment, Sakura decided to intervene with an odd phrase ("Shannaro!") that Remus could only interpret as a battle cry of sorts. While the remaining teen--Sasuke, was it?--nabbed the supply box with one arm and reached for the sock with a sigh, Sakura forcefully subdued Naruto with a headlock and yanked on one of his hands. (By the odd noise that the blonde's arm made, Remus wouldn't have been surprised if the girl had managed to dislocate the shoulder.)

The three hands of the teens touched the sock simultaneously--and just in time. Within an eyeblink, a familiar jerk to the navel took hold of the wizard and his new companions, taking them away from the tiny hut and into a blur of colours. Besides Remus, Naruto began swearing with such creativity and verbosity that it utterly awed the man. He smiled; Hogwarts would certainly be interesting this year.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I do apologize for the rather dry content of the first act. I'm now thinking that maybe I should have skipped all that explain-what-happened-to-Sasuke stuff and discussing about the job stuff, but I didn't have the heart to delete it all... Oh, and if you're wondering where the explosion that led to the discovery of the ninja dimension came from, it's from Chp. 278 where the gang faces off Deidara. I won't say anymore for those who are not up-to-date. :)

**.+Questions:.**  
a) How is the balance between dialogue and description? Too much of either?  
b) What are your opinions on the pseudo-play format I chose to write this story in? Original or just plain confusing?  
c) Do you think the characters are in character? If not, why?  
d) Did you enjoy the reading?

Reviews keep the author-monster happy and writing.


	2. Act II: Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Naruto_ or the _Harry Potter_ series.

**Author's Note:** Sorry for taking so horribly long! I had a website design that I was commissioned. I promise next update will be sooner!

* * *

_A shadow puppet does not have a will, a mind, or a face.  
It is solid darkness, dancing to the whim of the puppeteer.  
A remarkable resemblance to the perfect ninja, really._

_**Shadow Play**_

**Act II**

_Scene i_

(_In a brightly illuminated store labelled _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_, A plump witch is busily pulling at hems and pinning up sleeves while a young blonde teen is standing on a tool, fidgeting. A few feet away, two other teens are waiting patiently with a wizard. The wizard's threadbare attire seems to bother the witch greatly; she continues to glance towards the poor state of the robes and once almost flicks her wand in his direction before she catches herself in time. The man doesn't seem to mind. Instead, he quietly looks out the window of the store, observing the bustling street--and decidedly ignoring the loud comments from the teen that is currently being fitted._)

"Hey, hey, Sasuke, Sakura-chan! How do I look?" Naruto grinned as he rolled his shoulders back, puffing out his chest.

"Shut up, idiot. You're making the pins on your shoulder fall off." Sasuke interjected acerbically. Madam Malkin didn't seem all too pleased at the choice of words, but she sighed and nodded.

"He's right, dear. You'll look a lot more handsome if you have sleeves of matching lengths."

Sasuke looked away from the fitting stool as a deflated Naruto grumbled, and instead studied the street outside, trying to catch snippets of conversation filtering through the wooden door.

"--and then, the goblin pulled out a spear!"

"--_two_ Galleons for a single unicorn hair, its unbelievable--"

"--a broomstick? Can I? Please mum--"

It had been only a day since Remus had briefed them on the wizarding world and convinced the team to allow him to perform a 'spell' on them, so that they could understand 'English'. The jumble of new words had given all of them a headache for a while, and it was still difficult for them to flick the mental switch required to alternate the spoken language. Thus, until they all have gotten used to it, team 7 decided to speak in English in order to practice--although they didn't seem to need any with the spell. Still, it fascinated Sasuke to hear and feel the smooth syllables of English that seemed to melt into one another.

"Looks a lot like the ANBU uniform we're trying to earn, doesn't it, Sasuke-kun."

The black-haired teen jerked his head at the interruption of his thoughts and followed Sakura's glance back to the robes that Naruto was wriggling in.

"Without the hood and the white mask," he noted distractedly. Here, Remus gave him sharp glance, causing Sasuke to raise a brow. However, since the man soon returned to staring out into the street, he dismissed it and smirked as Naruto began his heartfelt whine again.

"Sakura-chaaaan--"

"Naruto, I agree with Sasuke-kun, you know. You should stay still."

The blonde ninja pouted. Sakura glared back. The witch attending Naruto gave a disapproving sigh and patted her charge on the back.

"And you're done, dear. You three can pick up your robes tomorrow evening."

The blonde eagerly jumped off the stool and shrugged his robe off. It fell into a dark puddle of cloth and pins on the dusty floor and the Madam Malkin glared irritably. However, Naruto was already dashing out to the streets with his hands fisted in excitement and an enthusiastic gleam in his blue eyes. Sakura let out a frustrated sigh and Remus smiled wanly; Sasuke just slid his hands into his pockets and followed without a word, carrying only the slightest expression of disdain.

"So, so, where are we going next, Mr. Lupin?" Naruto's loud voice caused several passers-by to stare and Sasuke to scowl; the moron had never excelled in stealth. And yes, Remus had notified them that here, the surname was spoken last. Sasuke had not complained, but privately had thought it silly; ancestry was more important than oneself, after all.

Remus ran fatigued fingers through his greying hair while checking his list. "Er, Ollivander's will be our last stop. We already have your other school supplies ready."

Sakura looked up in interest. "Oh, are we getting the 'wands' that you use for juts--no, spells?" Sasuke also tilted his head towards the wizard, listening with care.

"Yes, Ms. Haruno. Best makers of wands in England. It's down this street--"

"Alright! Let's go Sakura-chan!"

Half-way down the street, Sakura tore off Naruto's grip on her wrist and swung a fist in the direction of his head. The young ninja dodged with surprising nimbleness and laughed as he slid inside the small dusty store that was their final destination. Sasuke trailed after the pair with Remus, an amused smirk gracing his lips. Yes, it was definitely a smirk, not a smile.

**Act II**

_Scene ii_

(_The store is eerily quiet. The only source of illumination is the wan sunlight filtering through the narrow, grimy windows placed high up in the walls. Four individuals stand near the entrance, oddly subdued, while shimmering dust swirls up from the floor in a mesmerizing dance, protesting the trespassers. Somewhere, from the midst of innumerable narrow boxes, a shrivelled old man steps forward into the pale light, his large unblinking eyes sweeping over the younger three of the four. He nods.)_

"Ah yes, the boys Albus told me about, hmm? Good to see you, Remus. Twelve-inch, birch with unicorn's hair. One of the loveliest I've ever made, if I remember correctly."

Naruto blinked, surprised, as their guide nodded with a smile. Did the old man remember every single wand he sold? His blue eyes landed on the wizened shopkeeper, awe mingled with suspicion. Naruto had been determined to not let anything surprise him since the moment he let his jaw drop at his first sight of Diagon Alley, pouring through the retreating bricks of what had _seemed_ like a solid wall; however, this shop was... something else. The moment he had stepped in, escaping Sakura's wrath, he felt the chatter of the streets disappear into soothing silence. And there was something heavy in the air that prevented him from commenting the oddity to his team mate--well, from her expression, she had noticed anyway.

"Well now, ladies first. Hold out the arm you use to write with, if you please."

Sakura seemed startled, but she stepped forward bravely and raised her right arm. She didn't even yelp when measuring tapes flew out from a small metal box and began various measurements on her body. Only when they began curling around her torso to measure her chest did she smack it out of the way with a glare. Naruto winced in empathy, despite the fact that they were inanimate--well, maybe not quite--objects. He knew how that felt.

"Oh, yes, enough of that." With the old man's command, the tapes fluttered to the floor, lifeless. "Give this one a wave, Ms. Haruno. Thirteen inches. A thousand year old oak with a phoenix tail feather. Quite solid with a fair bit of power."

The kunoichi reached out to take the slender stick in her hands, but the moment it touched her fingers, the shopkeeper jerked it away with a 'tsk' and instantly pulled out another one.

"Ten and a quarter inches. Supple maple and a core of dragon heartstrings. Lovely creation. If you could--"

This one was also snatched out of Sakura's hands the moment she twitched her wrist.

"How about this one? A bit thick, eleven inches. Birchwood and--hmph." The wand was again flicked out of her grip.

The young woman began to eye the old man suspiciously as he rummaged for the next wand.

"Ah, this. Twelve inches. Flexible willow with a feather from a temperamental hen. Tried to peck my eyes out, that one. Should be good for precise charm work."

This time, Ollivander didn't stop Sakura from taking the wand. Instead, he watched anxiously as she swung the wand, and when swirling little pink sparks lighted the room, he crowed triumphantly.

"Ah, beautiful! I get better at this every time. Now then, Mr. Uchiha. There, no need to look so grumpy; give us a smile." Naruto barely contained a snicker behind a raised hand. He'd never seen Sasuke even remotely close to smiling. Smirking, maybe. Or even a little 'heh', when he was in an astoundingly good mood. But the Great Uchiha Sasuke never smiled.

The dark-haired teen took a quite a bit more tries than Sakura before he settled with 'thirteen inches, solid ebony, firm. Heartstrings from a Chinese Fireball.' A Fireball. Naruto snickered again. Now who would've thought?

"Mr. Uzumaki?"

"Took you long enough Sasuke!"

When Naruto strutted up to Mr. Ollivander with a flourish, the old man eyed him with some amusement. Then, with a moment of thought, he flipped open the cardboard lid of the nearest box and extracted the delicate-looking wand, offering it to the teen. The blonde frowned slightly.

"Hey, old man. Aren't you going to measure me like you did with Sakura-chan and Sasuke?" Ollivander only smiled.

Miffed, Naruto took the slender stick--surprisingly warm and surprisingly... _girly_--and twirled it like he would a kunai. Much to his surprise, little puffs of orange flame sprouted from the tip, floating soothingly in the dusty air before sputtering out.

"Ah, thought so. Ten inches, made from a sapling oak. The core came from a wonderful golden filly. She was quite the feisty one." The old wand maker chuckled. Naruto stared at his wand. Filly. Wasn't that like a baby horse? A _female_ baby horse?

"Whaaaat!"

The moment the four stepped outside the store after paying the bill, Naruto's team mates burst out in laughter; Sakura in her clear, sweet giggle and Sasuke in his trademark mocking snigger. Even Remus had a smile tugging at his tired thin lips. The blonde's face became a brilliant crimson.

"Hey, hey! Stop laughing! I bet my stick can break yours any day!"

When the laughing didn't stop, Naruto angrily pulled out his new wand from his kunai holster. Ignoring one pink-haired ninja's protests, he then turned on Sasuke with his hand raised to stab the blunt end of the fragile stick into the smirking face of his rival. The Uchiha didn't lose a moment and quickly twisted up his own wand to parry the blow.

"Too slow and too obvious, idiot." The smirk gained in strength.

Just as the blonde managed to free his wand and stabbed at the other's side with a growl, the battered door of the wand-maker's store slammed open with a sudden gust of wind. At the sudden force, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura all froze and snapped their attention to the store at the same time. When Mr. Ollivander stormed out of the entrance a moment later, he looked nothing like the thin, almost fragile shopkeeper Naruto had yelled at just a moment ago.

His threadbare grey robes somehow deepened into a menacing black that billowed out behind him, and his grey hair danced wildly, almost crackling with unseen energy. His previously vapid, silvery eyes were now sharp, piercing steel and their murderous gaze impaled the two offending boys. Naruto felt a sudden chill. There was some serious killing intent in those eyes. The blonde almost expected an attack, but the old man instead turned to an appalled Remus Lupin and fixed him with the same icy glare.

"Remus! You better teach these brats proper respect for their wands! Never in all these years have I seen such insolence!"

With those words, the shopkeeper stomped his way back to his dusty sanctuary, still growling and hmph-ing under his breath. When the wooden door closed behind him with a soft click, Remus ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh and turned towards the two males who decidedly looked shell-shocked.

"Well," Remus began with a feeble smile. "I _was_ instructed to teach some basic magic anyway. Er, this way..."

The wizard's charges nodded silently and followed.

**Act II**

_Scene iii_

(_The room is one of the most spacious in the weather-beaten Leaky Cauldron. Several large windows lining the wall provide a wealth of sunlight, which spills into the room, warming the wooden floorboards. If one looks closely, cobwebs can be seen clinging to the more shadowy corners, but if anything, it only adds to the homely atmosphere of the lodging. Currently, the four beds have been pushed to one corner of the room, leaving a large open space in the middle where four people now stand, each in various poses of concentration.)_

"_Reparo!_"

Sakura felt a minute amount of chakra flow from her coil system to the wand, and watched in fascination as the broken shards of ceramics shuddered then knitted together, reforming the once-broken dish. She reached out to run her fingers over the seamless, smooth surface of the creamy white plate and once again marvelled at the convenience of the spell.

"It works almost like a healing jutsu, only it takes a lot less effort and only a fraction of chakra! I definitely think this 'wand' is acting as an amplifier." Sakura caressed her wand with an affectionate gaze. "It's amazing how our world never invented something like this..." She stroked a finger down the smooth wood--

"Sakura," a cool voice suddenly interrupted the kunoichi from her reverie. When she turned to the direction of the voice, a raven-haired teen was watching her from his station in front of a dust bunny, a small furrow of frustration growing between his brows. Near him was Naruto, also frowning in concentration as he jabbed at his own dust mote with a booming, '_Wingardium Leviosa!_' It barely twitched. Sakura couldn't help but snicker a bit as Remus sighed and repeated his demonstration.

From the beginning, Sakura experienced very little trouble in mimicking the exact wrist movements and the specific inflections of the magical words that were perquisite for a successful charm--they were almost nothing compared to the fine chakra control required to perform even a chuuin-level healing jutsu. However, Naruto and Sasuke always twitched their wand at exactly the wrong place or slurred syllables together in such a way that the spell failed completely.

"Sakura," the pale teen repeated. "Can you step outside with me for a moment?"

Sakura tilted her head in curiosity and glanced at Naruto and Remus. They seemed rather occupied with a sudden flame that had erupted on the collection of dust motes. She looked back to Sasuke with a suppressed grin and nodded.

When they were outside in the hallway with the door safely closed behind them, Sakura turned towards Sasuke, her expression expecting. She had long ago abandoned her crush in favour of a more enduring friendship, but...

"So, Sasuke-kun?"

To her surprise, the young man cast his gaze down, locks of jet black hair veiling his expression--was that a faint flush? However, soon, his eyes came back up, and Sakura saw that they were imbued in the bright crimson of the Sharingan.

"Ah, Sakura, could you do that spell that we're learning?" The ninja spoke almost guiltily, refusing to meet her gaze. A sly smile slowly replaced the look of surprise on Sakura's face.

"Sasuke-kun! I never knew you'd be one to cheat like that!" She teased with a laugh. Immediately, Sasuke frowned.

"It isn't cheating, it's--"

"Yes, yes, it's using every advantage you have to get ahead. Shinobi saying number 48, I know." Her mocking expression softened slightly. "I was only second to you back in the Academy... although you probably wouldn't remember."

Sakura was surprised at the bitterness lacing her own voice.

There was a moment of uneasy silence.

However, before Sasuke could speak or react to her words, Sakura turned away abruptly and swished her wand at a stray pebble that had escaped the housekeeping service. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

Her wrist movements were probably more pronounced than what was really needed. And she spoke the spell a bit too loudly, she thought. The charm still worked marvellously, however, and Sakura sighed internally in relief as the pebble lazily floated up into the air and bobbed obediently at eye level. She grinned over her shoulder at her team mate, who nodded gruffly and allowed red to drain away from his eyes. He then quickly went back inside after muttering a 'thanks', not quite meeting her eyes. And Sakura knew the 'thanks' wasn't just for her spell.

Shortly, a muffled, '_Wingardium Leviosa!_' floated out from the door. Sakura could almost see the triumphant smirk that followed as well as Naruto's baffled expression.

"Wha--what--? Sasuke, how did you--? Just a second ago--"

The moment Sakura stepped back inside the room with a stifled giggle, Naruto's confused blue eyes flicked to meet her amused green ones. Then, his jaw dropped as slow comprehension dawned on his face. He spluttered.

"Sasuke bastard! How dare you use--" The blonde stopped at Sasuke's sharp glare. He spluttered some more. Sakura tossed a sympathetic glance at Naruto as he grudgingly settled into muttering about 'the cheating bastard' instead. Remus looked bemused, but wisely seemed to decide not to comment. Instead, he turned his attention back to Naruto, whose wand movements had become rather violent.

"You have to swish the wand gently because any jerky movements cause the charm to fail. Same with the spell words. Think smooth--here, like this. _Wingardium Leviosa_!"

The dust mote that had refused to budge under Naruto's vicious efforts, danced to life under the wizard's ministrations. Sasuke, his mote still floating in the air, shot a superior smirk at the frustrated blonde, who in turn glared back with a look that bespoke of torture and painful death. Sakura resolutely suppressed a bubbling laughter and swished her wand at another piece of broken china. All was good.

**Act II**

_Scene iv_

(_The sunlight is slanting at a different angle now and its touch is bordering on crimson. By the messy state of the room, it seems to be a week or two since its occupants first entered. The reduced light and its red hue deepens previously existing shadows and casts new ones, giving the room--now complete with scorch marks and an orange tree growing in a corner--a rather eerie atmosphere. Two beds lie abandoned in a dusty corner, but the other two have been pulled out to catch the last of the dying sunlight. Quiet conversation rises from the people sitting on the beds--the oldest on one, and the younger three on the other, facing him._)

"...so with Lord Voldemort, you can see why we're particularly concerned over Harry Potter."

Sakura--loveable, ever-diligent Sakura--looked up from her note-taking and tilted her head to ease the cricks in her neck. Normally, he would offer her a massage--probably earning a smack to the head--but over the course of years, even Naruto had learned the wisdom of paying attention during a business discussion.

"Heeeh, I see. _Accio _orange!"

But then again, he had a different definition of 'attention' than most people.

Blithely ignoring the contempt on Sasuke's face and the I-will-kill-you-dead expression of Sakura, Naruto dug his nails in his fruit to peel it, causing a pleasant scent of citrus to permeate the musty air.

"Magical orange looks pretty good, doesn't it?" Though ramen was infinitely better, of course. Still, Naruto bit enthusiastically into the tangy flesh and lapped up some of the dribbling juice.

"Mm. So anyway, are we getting a map or anythin' of this Hogwarts place?"

Remus' lips curved up in some inner amusement at the question, but he soon sobered up enough to draw his wand and mutter a spell, at which shimmering gold threads unravelled from the tip to draw out an extremely complicated blueprint. Sasuke immediately frowned as though the warm golden glow had violently insulted his pride.

"You hired only three to cover such an expansive castle? Even if all of us patrol simultaneously for the entire night, we can't effectively defend such an area."

The wizard only smiled mildly at the teenager's cold assessment and flicked his wand again, withdrawing the glowing threads.

"Ah, Mr. Lupin--" Sakura looked up from her sketching with a protest, but Remus quickly stilled her with a reassuring wave and a wider smile.

"No need for that Ms. Haruno. We'll have maps in a more convenient form ready for you before you set off to Hogwarts. As for your question, Mr. Uchiha, I'm sure you'll be satisfied once you see these maps."

Sasuke wore a blank expression which Naruto clearly deciphered as 'I don't think so idiot', but he didn't further pursue the topic--probably because the idiot in question was now admiring and complementing Sakura's deft sketch work. Naruto leaned towards Sasuke to whisper near his ear.

"I can always make a bunch of kage bunshin, remember?" When he saw that Remus was occupied, Sasuke turned slightly towards Naruto to whisper back.

"Idiot, if you do that you'll be completely drained of chakra after a week or two. And that means you'll die."

When Sasuke looked away to find out just what was so captivating about Sakura's sketches, Naruto grinned widely. If he wasn't mistaken, that acidly spoken whisper had been tender caring and concern in Sasuke-ese. Aww, he cared.

A smile still playing on his lips, he joined Sasuke and Remus, if only to make Sakura blush into an even deeper shade of red. Sakura-chan was so cute when she blushed. When Naruto shared this very important and completely serious observation with everyone, Sakura punched him square in the cheek, which sent him flying into the opposite wall. In the midst of Remus' surprised shout, a pounding headache, and what was probably a cracked rib, a single thought wavered faintly in the blonde ninja's mind.

Aww, she cared too.

* * *

**+Questions+**   
a) Do you think the characters are in character? If not, why?   
b) What do you think about each scene's length? Too short/long? Why?   
c) Do you agree with the individual magic-learning abilities of each character? If no, why not?   
d) Did you enjoy the reading?

Remember! Reviews keep the author-monster happy and writing.


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